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LONE PINE
Lone Pine is a little community all of its own, located between Coulee Dam and Elmer City. It still has several of the same families living there as when it was first platted.
Among the pioneers is the widow of Palmer Johnson. Mr. Johnson passed away May 18, 1976, but was a very active person of the area. He platted the Lone Pine area, surveyed by Carl Scott. It was the homestead of Clarence Fletcher and Charles Hopkins. Mr. Johnson was always active in community affairs and concerned with the happiness and needs of youth as well as the elderly. He was very fond of horses and kept a corral at Lone Pine in Coulee Dam where he maintained several head of horses for the youth of the area.
Mrs. Johnson still owns her home in the community.
Ardell Johnson Preston (Daughter)
Another very outstanding person of Lone Pine was Mark Youngs. Mark passed away in July 1975, but his dedication and love for the Palomino rabbits will live on and on. This beautiful golden colored rabbit was originated here in the Lone Pine Rabbitry of the Coulee Dam area. Mark worked many years to get the color he wanted. People from all over report on them being a beautiful rabbit, meaty and a breed that can survive over other breeds during extreme hot and cold seasons. He put many hard but happy hours in working with them, attending shows, fairs, and teaching children how to care for them. The rabbits are being raised and sold nationally as well as internationally, one of the countries being South Africa.
Mark also was a United States Bureau of Reclamation employee until his recent retirement, but this wasn't all of his jobs. Many buildings around the area have well sealed roofs as he was also a roofer. Mark was always a very active person even up till the few days before he passed away which he spent in the hospital. His widow, Mabel, lives in their recently remodeled and cozy home in Lone Pine. It is very relaxing to sit in her dining room by the fireplace and watch the Columbia River flowing so peacefully by.
Mabel is also a proud owner of a stole, cape and several lovely fur pieces made from the Palominos. She and Mark were a very devoted couple and enjoyed their home and rabbitry in Lone Pine. Mabel has since had to sell the rabbits but has a beautiful picture of the "Pals" on her dining room wall and can be proud of what Mark has left to the world in the beautiful golden rabbits.
Mabel Youngs & Vesta Seiler
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OSBORNE
Oscar F. Osborne had the distinction of making the first sale of land in the Grand Coulee area by the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam, early in the summer of 1933, at a place along the County road, which later joined the town of Osborne.
A five acre tract of land was purchased from Oscar F. Osborne, a part of his ranch, which he owned for over 50 years, by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Riordan and Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Brantner from the coast.
That fall the people came from far and near, moving in and squatting in tents and trailer houses on his land along the County road near the gate entrance to his ranch, and leading to the site of the dam. The four wire fence had been cut and rolled back and the posts disappeared for fuel. It was a winter made for them, as it was very mild.
In the fall of the same year he had 60 acres surveyed into town lots and was to be known as the town of Osborne, which was named for Oscar by the new squatters and future property owners. A "Checker Board Jumping" started as the new settlers picked their lots in late November and December. One or two chose the same lot and they solved the problem themselves. Oscar's future son-in-law, an Attorney from Seattle, set up the bookkeeping and form of contracts to be used.
Lots started selling at $1 down, to hold the lot, and $1 a month when they had it, for the squatters, the first ones to buy. No one had any money in those days as the depression was on. those that had enough to see them through the winter or their first pay check paid more.
In the fall of 1933 Thomas Osborne took over the management of the ranch and promoted the town of Osborne. They maintained an office in their home, and his wife Gladys did the office work, along with registering votes, notarizing, writing driver's licenses and automobile licenses.
Mr. and Mrs. J. P. (Pat) Flanagin set up a lumber yard with the first load of lumber, and shacks and small homes were soon going up. Five bachelor carpenters (they brought their wives and families later) and known as the "Big Five", dismantled an old cabin on Mrs. Oscar F. Osborne's land and rebuilt it on a lot and lived in it that winter, and later it was moved to another log. In the early spring R. E. Lawson (Red) opened his Good Luck Lunch and the rest started their new homes. Mr. and Mrs. Frank James put in the first little grocery store and she went to Coulee City, brought out the mail, and people called for it at the store.
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They all hauled their water from a spring along the east wall from Mr. Oscar F. Osborne's place that first winter. In the spring of 1934 this spring was piped into town and stopped at the land office, where they came to get their water. That spring Thomas laid out his water system, which he metered and the towns people started paying for hook-ups and water.
Mr. Oscar F. Osborne gave ground for a Church and the first school in the fall of 1933, of which Thomas was one of the original school board members of District 55 and the "traveling" Mountain View School. Mr. Osborne's son Floyd and a hired man took a contract to put the school back in order. One of the squatters moved in to help keep it in shape until needed. By December 4, 1933 it opened with 16 pupils and seven grades, with Miss Mary Cummings as teacher. the first dances were held in the old schoolhouse.
later on the "traveling" Mountain View School was moved to Electric City, when the town was started there for school purposes and a new four room school was built in Osborne. Soon this school was too small and operated with classes in two shifts a day and four teachers.
The streets were nice and wide and graveled. As the town grew, Thomas had a 50,000 gallon plus water storage tank constructed in 1934. The spring soon became inadequate for the town's needs and he had a well drilled in 1936 and connected to the system.
In 1934, Mrs. George Rush, formerly of Index, Washington, held the distinction of being Osborne's first Postmistress, and it was moved to their grocery store until they moved to New Osborne and Mrs. V. R. Brown served until it was closed.
Early in 1934 Floyd Osborne installed an electric power system with an old Holt gas engine from the ranch in the pump house and the town had electric lights for a few hours in the evening. Anyone having a washing machine rented them for a select few to come in and take turns doing their washing. Later he ran it a few hours in the mornings also, until a power line came to Electric City and he purchased power to serve his lines, until the Government bought him out in 1950.
Riordan and Brantner had the first service station, and later sold the pump and storage tank. At one time Osborne has six or seven service stations. Mr. E. F. Edwards and sons had the first garage and in 1936 Mr. and Mrs. K. C. Will purchased it from a Mr. Duffy. Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Bartlett and Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Bartlett, his parents, had a grocery store and the distinction of the only butcher shop. At the peak of construction on the dam Osborne had five grocery stores and one hardware store, owned by Fred Green, and one dime store, owned by Fowlers, and five taverns, three of them with dancing and two with restaurants. The Roy Miller restaurant became noted in the area for its
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excellent meals. Carl Morris served as the town's first policeman for awhile, then Roy Lawson served until other police protection came in. Mr. E. W. Nickel served as Judge. Mr. H. Frank Vaughan and his father had the distinction of the tallest and largest building in town. In 1934 they moved in a three story building for a hotel. H. Frank Vaughan was the first to be married on the job to Bernadine Slagel, also of Osborne, and the first couple married in Osborne. He built the first shack under the ferry tower and he said the shack was moved 27 times during the first construction period, ending up in Osborne, late in 1936. Mr. and Mrs. Slagel had the first laundry. Mr. K. C. Will had a barber shop in connection with his service station he purchased from a Mr. Duffy in 1936. Mr. and Mrs. E. E. Lyle had the first dairy rout.
At the peak of the building of the dam Osborne had over 2,000 population and on pay day it was a very lively place. Thomas' father found it impossible to keep farm help on the ranch during World War II, as Uncle Sam would call them as fast as he got a new hired hand. Thomas took over the ranch and with several 12 and 14 year old boys from Osborne helped with the haying. They were a very good crew. One at first glance would think the mules were very well trained to do that work alone, as the boys would almost have to stand up to drive them, and still one couldn't see their heads over the backs of the mules. The oldest boys were Robert Benbow, Dick Morrison and Rex Hardesty.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas H. Osborne had the distinction of being the last ones to move from "Old Osborne" as it is now known, on September 1, 1950 to their new location, known as New Osborne.
Mrs. Gladys E. Osborn (Thos. H.)
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